Marine v-drive



1967 w. B. HERBERT 3,358,528

MARINE V-DRIVE Filed Oct. 21, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 l7 IE IT INVENTOR.

5 2 WILLIAM B. HERBERT ATTORNEYS Dec. 19, 1967 w. B. HERBERT MARINE V-DHIVE 3 Sheets-$heet 2 INVENTOR.

WILLIAM B. HERBERT Filed Oct. 21, 1965 i M ATTORNEYS W. B. HERBERT MARINE V-DRIVE Dec. 19, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 2 INVENTOR WILLIAM B. HERBERT BY F lg. 6 J11, 49m

ATTORNEYS Filed Oct. 21, 1965 Filed Oct. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 499,798 6 Claims. (Cl. 74-606) This invention relates, as indicated, to marine V-drives.

Marine V-drives are commonly employed which enable the engine to be installed in the stern of the boat with the engine shaft line and the propeller shaft line intersecting at substantially an acute angle, at which point of intersection intermeshing transmission gears are provided for the transmission of rotary motion from the engine to the vessel propeller.

"Such V-drives are commonly enclosed or encased in a housing or case, sometimes referred to as a gear box which, in some cases, is a housing provided with a removable cover, and, in some cases, consists of two parts, of somewhat similar construction, and which are connected to each other along a vertical plane or a horizontal plane, as in Patent No. 2,164,487. However, where the parts are connected to each other along a vertical plane, or as in the aforesaid patent, the parts are not identical, and thus require dilferent patterns or castings for the manufacture of the two halves of the case.

Engineering studies also indicate that in a V-drive, irrespective of the housing or gearbox construction, as long as the shafts are not parallel, a given rise in ambient temperature will cause a distortion of the box and a consequent change of the relationship between the gears. This results from the fact that any given material will expand in accordance with its coeflicient of expansion and the temperature rise in the material, and if, as in a V-drive, there is a greater distance between the shafts at one end of the box than at the other end, the expansion at both ends will not be equal, and a change in the pattern of the gear mesh will be experienced.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a V-drive in which the housing or gear box consists of two parts which are identical in construction, whereby the parts are interchangeable, and the cost of tooling up for manufacture and assembly of the drive is greatly reduced.

Another object of the invention is to provide a V-drive in which novel means are incorporated for cooling the housing or gear box, in a manner which compensates for unequal expansion of the ends of the box, whereby misalignment between the shafts in the box and consequent change in the relationship between the gears in the box is avoided.

A further object of the invention is to provide a V-drive of the character described, which is adaptable for use in the conventional manner, or for so-called down angle drive.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a V-dl'ive embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the drive;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of one end of the drive, as viewed from the left side of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the other end of the drive, as viewed from the right side of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view, partly in elevation, and partly in section, taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view, showing in a somewhat diagrammatic manner, use of the drive in a conventional manner, and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, but showing use of the drive in so-called down angle drive.

' United States Patent 0 3,358,528 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 to 5 inclusive of the drawings, the V-drive will be seen to comprise a housing or gear case or box consisting of an upper portion 1 and a lower portion 2.

An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that the portions 1 and 2, constituting the housing or gear case are identical in construction, thereby affording the opportunity of manufacturing two identical pieces for each V-drive, which pieces are interchangeable, to thereby reduce the cost of tooling up for manufacturing and assembling the parts of the drive. Certain other advantages of this construction will be described hereinafter.

Since the parts 1 and 2 are of identical construction, only the part 1 and the parts therein contained need be described.

The housing or gear case part 1 has mounted therein, for rotation in longitudinally or axially spaced tapered roller bearings 3 and 4, a main shaft 5, which is retained against axial displacement from the part 1 by means of a nut 6 secured to one end of the shaft by a cotter pin 7. The other end of the shaft 5 is provided with a coupling flange 8, which is adapted for connection to the marine engine (see FIG. 6).

Keyed to the shaft 5, between the bearings 3 and 4, is a gear 9, which is in mesh with a similar gear (not shown) in the housing part 2. The gear within the housing part 2, in turn, drives a shaft 5' (see FIG. 4), which is provided with a coupling flange 8', which is adapted for connection to the vessel propeller (see FIG. 5).

A cover plate 10 is secured to one end of the housing by means of bolts (not shown), and a seal 11, of synthetic rubber, such as Buna N, is interposed between the cover plate and shaft 5. An O-ring seal 12 is also provided between the cover plate 10 and the housing part 1.

A cover plate 13 is secured to the other end of the housing by means of bolts 14, and an O-ring seal 15 is provided between the cover plate 13 and the housing part 1.

Each of the housing parts 1 and 2 is provided with a base flange 16, and in the assembly of the parts 1 and 2, the flanges 16 are secured to each other by means of bolts 17 and nuts 18.

Since the housing parts 1 and 2 are of identical construction, they may be used interchangeably, requiring only a single pattern for both parts, and thereby greatly reducing the cost of tooling up for manufacture and assembly of the drive.

The drive may be used in the conventional manner shown in FIG. 6, in which the engine E drives the shaft 5 through the coupling flange 8, and the shaft 5' drives the propeller 'P through the coupling flange 8', the engine and propeller being disposed at the same end of the housing.

By reversing the position of the coupling 8, that is, end for end, the drive may be used as a so-called down angle drive, as in FIG. 7, which dfifers from the conventional V-drive in that the engine -E remains in the center of the boat, but can be placed in a flat position, while still providing suitable angle for the propeller shaft. The engine E, in this case, drives the shaft 5 through the coupling 8, and the shaft 5 drives the propeller P through the coupling 8', the engine and propeller being disposed at opposite ends of the drive. The advantage here is the ability to maintain the deck over the engine compartment as low as possible.

For the purpose of avoiding changes in the spacing between the shafts and consequent changes in the relationship between the gears, due to the thermal differences to which reference has been made, I have provided means for water cooling that end of the drive at which the shafts are spaced farther apart, in a manner which compensates for or equalizes the differences in expansion. This is accomplished by casting into the housing parts -1 and 2 cooling tubes 19, which are cast directly into the metal of these parts around the bearings '33. These cooling tubes are bent or curved to conform with the contour of the housing portion in which they are cast, and are provided With inlet ends 20 and outlet ends 21 for cooling Water.

By locating the cooling tubes 19 in the manner described, heat is dispersed from the bearing area at which the spacing between the shafts is greatest, and at which there is more heated metal than at the other end of the drive, thereby compensating for the differences in expansion, and eliminating changes in the relationship between the shafts and gears. This is accomplished without actually having the coo-ling tubes in the interior space or cavity within the gear box. Moreover, since the tubes 19 are cast solidly in the metal of the housing parts 1 and 2, they cannot leak and cause contamination of the lubricating oil within the box. Furthermore, they are sufficiently large in area and cross-section to permit ample flow of cooling Water, so that they may be inserted in series or in parallel in the suction side of the engine cooling system, providing unrestricted flow to the engine. There is no danger of fittings being blown out by pressure, as would be the case if they were on the pressure side of any pumping system.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes may be made in the shape, size and arrangement of parts thereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim-s.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a V-drive of the character described, a pair of housing parts of identical construction secured to each other along a common plane, shafts mounted in said housing parts at an angle to each other, and gears mounted on said shafts and in mesh with each other.

2. A V-drive, as defined in claim 1, wherein each housing part has a base flange, and means are provided for removably securing said flanges to each other.

3. A V-drive, as defined in claim 2, wherein each housing part is provided with spaced roller bearings, and said shaft is mounted for rotation in said bearings.

4. In .a V-drive of the character described, a housing having shafts mounted therein, for rotation, said shafts being disposed at an angle to each other whereby the shafts are spaced farther apart at one end of the housing than at the other end, and means disposed at that end of References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,639,680 8/1927 Acker 74-606 2,687,784 8/1954 Klackner 74-606 2,750,806 6/ 1956 Hobbs 7'4606 2,981,373 4/1961 Van Ranst 74-.606

FOREIGN PATENTS 566,489 12/ 1932 Germany. 344,703 3 193 I Great Britain.

FRED C. MATTERN, JR., Primary Examiner.

W. S. RATLIFF, Assistant Examz'ner. 

1. IN A V-DRIVE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED, A PAIR OF HOUSING PARTS OF IDENTICAL CONSTRUCTION SECURED TO EACH OTHER ALONG A COMMON PLANE, SHAFTS MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING PARTS AT AN ANGLE TO EACH OTHER, AND GEARS MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFTS AND IN MESH WITH EACH OTHER. 